Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the navy of the United Kingdom, founded in the early 14th century during the Hundred Years' War, then again in the 16th century by King Henry VIII of England, and formally founded in 1660 by King Charles II of England. The Royal Navy is the oldest navy in the world, and it used to be the strongest after the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and before the US Navy destroyed the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. In 2016, the Royal Navy had 43,880 personnel, 77 ships, and 174 aircraft, with the navy currently being sent on expeditionary operations around the world.